Stories

Transforming lives begins with something as simple as a friendly smile and a non-judgmental ear.

That’s why Our Place believes in offering a hand up rather than a hand out. The lives that have been transformed because of the love, support and friendship that radiates within our building is incredible. Here are just a few of our stories.

When you first meet Al, you are taken in by his eyes: clear, strong and focused. But those eyes also contain a vulnerability that tells you he is someone who has lived rough, faced difficult decisions, and known pain.

Born and raised in Victoria, Al’s life was turned upside down 11 years ago when he lost his job as a security guard. He admits that he shares responsibility for the loss as, “I was stubborn. They wanted rid of me and I gave them the excuse.”

If you walk into Our Place on a Wednesday afternoon, you’ll find a line of people waiting for Gordon.

Every week this gentle man extends care and compassion to a host of people who sleep outside or on hard mats – people whose shoulders ache, whose spines are stiff, and whose backs are in dire need of some acupressure. Having just graduated, he is now licensed to practice acupressure on a regular basis. Gordon is soft-spoken, thoughtful, and articulate. Though an integral part of Our Place’s extensive volunteer team, Gordon’s life wasn’t always so gratifying.

“It’s like a game of snakes and ladders,” says long-time Victoria resident, Don McLeod, about injuries due to a recent bicycle accident that he’s concerned will impede his recovery.

In the past, an injury like this one would have sent the retired commercial fisherman and businessman back to using heroin and prescription pain killers. But this time around there’s a big difference in how Don’s navigating life’s ups and downs.

“My dad was a long-standing member of the Victoria street community,” says Shawn, 29, as he sips a coffee at the end of his work day. “Yeah, he died on the stairs there behind the Empress. He had a heart attack and an alcoholic seizure.”

Even though the paramedics successfully resuscitated Shawn’s father, Daryl died three days later in hospital. He was 47 years old.

Shawn looks down at the tattoo on his right arm. There, his father’s name and the year of his death are written in an elegant script of black ink: Daryl 2009.

If you step into the Our Place Society building during the weekdays, you will probably see Shirley’s smiling face. Here from 6:30 am until 2:30 pm everyday, Shirley is part of a small but fiercely dedicated crew that maintains the cleanliness and beauty of the Our Place facility. Shirley has been here over a year still greats virtually everyone with a smile and a cheerful hello. After sitting down with her, I realized what an unbelievable life she has had and how much strength it has taken for her to end up here, healthy and clean.

Jerome has moved into stable housing for the first time in years. He is three years clean and faces this transition with confidence, despite the fact that changes like this used to terrify him. “I’ve experienced tons of abandonment in similar situations,” he explains. But this time it’s different. “Everything I’ve done this time, I’ve worked very hard for. I’ve worked to connect with people, to build relationships – regardless of whether they’re professional or not – so that I can have a consistent foundation of support. I’m in a much better place now.”

When Jill first came to Our Place, she was in a virtual meltdown. Several years earlier, Jill had lost her job as a dietary aid at a long term care home when it was privatized. To make matters worse, she was forced to move from her home because a man who had stalked and assaulted her was released from prison after serving only four months. She was afraid. The story of what happened in court is recalled in her published poem, “Don’t Judge”: